Support The Sun through the Solstice

Next month, December of 2018, marks the 10-year anniversary of the demise of The Valley Journal commercial weekly newspaper, after more than four decades of serving Carbondale and the middle region of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the VJ (as it was known), The Sopris Sun was conceived and created by a group of long-time locals, many with prior newspaper experience, who could not imagine Carbondale without its own newspaper, and who decided it could best survive the rigors of these difficult financial times as a not-for-profit weekly.

And so it is that the newspaper you hold in your hands will turn 10 years old early next year.

In recognition of that rapturous achievement, and of the stalwart support of our readership and the community at large, we are embarking on a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $10,000 by the date of Dec. 21.

Otherwise known as Winter Solstice, the date has long been revered as a mark of renewal and rebirth for the year to come, and as a promise that the hardships of winter will soon ease and spring will take hold once more.

So it was with The Sopris Sun, and its continuing growth and robust coverage of the doings in and around Carbondale is a testament to the foresightedness of the founding board, and to the strength of Carbondale’s community-wide resolve.

The Sun rises each week as proof that it belongs to its community in every sense of the phrase, providing stories about the personalities who populate our town and surroundings (190 such stories in 2017, according to the newspaper’s most recent annual report); the government at Town Hall that acts as one source of the glue that holds our community together (115 stories last year); the schools where our children learn how to navigate the shoals of life here in the valley (125 stories about kids and youths last year); the local businesses that provide jobs and commercial energy to the town (53 stories last year); and much, much more.

In addition, the paper supports other nonprofit organizations in and around town, as shown in the 60 stories about such organizations in 2017 alone, and the various artist and craftsmen whose creativity makes Carbondale the envy of other local towns (98 stories in 2017).

As a nonprofit newspaper, The Sopris Sun cannot do its job without the support of its 4,000 weekly print readers, plus more than 1,000 or so who check out or website (www.soprissun.com) and internet with us on social media.

The current campaign is meant to provide much-needed funding for our hard-working staff, and the financial strength to keep on rising, week after week, to tell the stories that our community wants to read.

So, to our past supporters and those of you who have never given, mail us a check, contribute online or stop by the office (in the Third Street Center) to make a donation, no matter the size, as a sign that you agree that The Sopris Sun is a vital part of the community we love.